SUCCESS BEGINS AT OBEDIENCE
Notions of success have been twisted today. The world lies and says that the more things we have the better off we are. However, we know that a man’s success is not measured by the amount of material possession he owns.
Lk 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Lk 12:16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
Lk 12:17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
Lk 12:18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
Lk 12:19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
Lk 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
Lk 12:21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Where does God say success begins? I have learned that success begins at obedience.
Lk 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Lk 5:5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Simon (who is later called Peter) so quickly and beautifully said, “Because you say so, I will…” We know that Peter wasn’t perfect, nor are we, but isn’t it beautiful to see how quickly he was obedient in this instance? I encourage you, and I simultaneously encourage me, to seek to be immediately obedient this week and to do all that God tells you to do. I pray that you seek Him and hear from Him, and I pray that you quickly say, “Because You said so, I will.”
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her recently founded Share & Company Publishing House http://seymourkristina.wix.